Pop Physique

My teen daughter and I decided try a Pop Physique class this Sunday morning. Our instructor was Meisha, a strong beautiful woman with a gorgeous back. Her energy is great and very good about going around checking people’s form.
We are searching for more of a ballet format class, though. This class involves core, isometrics, and use light weights with lots of repetitions. We definitely felt the burn and could be challenging at times.
Pop Physique is a fun, light and airy class. I would recommend this type of exercise to beginners and anyone looking for a change of pace, like us. I am sure we will go back from time to time.

I enjoy coming to Pop because it’s clean, there’s plenty of parking, it’s nearby, late night/​unique classes, great prices, constant deals and the instructors make you break out into a sweat! It’s a fun place to work out, bulid core strength and improves your flexibility. Highly recommend!

I’ve been trying for a long time to look for a nice workout routine but I’m so easily bored. Pop has been the only consistent workout routine I have yet to walk away from. It’s because the classes are so fun! The playlist is very upbeat and the workouts are to tempo so it makes following along very easy. I started with an awesome Groupon deal and as a member, I get email specials for class packages that make the class very inexpensive especially for the amount of sweat that gets poured and the muscles that burn for days.
You start out warming up the body then go into planking where you engage your abdominal muscles while working on your arms and shoulders. That is followed by the use of light weights (or if you’re daring, you can choose the heavier sets of weights — it all depends on your preference). You then move on the bar to stretch and work on your thighs. This is my least favorite part of the class mainly because it’s my weakness! Your legs will shake like they’re independent from your body! The next part is my favorite when you work on your glutes. Very challenging but feels amazing. The last part of the workout focuses on your abs. Also very challenging but the burning feels so right! Each class is an hour long but it goes by fairly quickly because you’re always changing movements.
They provide mats or you can bring your own. They used to have liquid solution to clean the mats but that left the mats and the studio smelling weird. Recently they’ve switched to wipes since they got new equipment so it’s been very pleasant. I find that sticky socks hinder my movements a little more than regular socks but make sure you don’t have super smooth socks or it’ll take a lot more effort to control your movements.
I like that they have late evening classes — the last class M-​Th is at 8:15pm, Friday’s is at 5:45pm — and they even have both Sat and Sun classes. My favorite instructors are Michael and Amy because they’re extremely energetic. Best workout yet!

New Year! New mats! New dumbbells! and yes, finally sanitizer wipes for the mats! yay!

I did a class here a couple of months ago through ClassPass when I was visiting family. I definitely feel like I received a great workout with Tracy, and the receptionist was nice. However, the mats that they had in class smelled awful ! It was like a ‘sour/​sweaty wet towel’ type of smell. I was afraid to lay out on it because I didn’t want my body to pick up the smell. For a nice studio, you would think they’d get better disinfectant wipes. I would advise going to the Pop Physique studio in Old Town Pasadena (no smelly mats). But if you must go to this one, bring your own mat.

I’ve been holding out on writing a review for this place because of selfish reasons. This is my favorite barre place. Ive tried the bar method and pure barre and they both pale in comparison. Maybe the stars and sun aligned that day but my first class was perfect! Hi, My name is Shan and I’m addicted to pop.
Before I started I was marathon runner for years but my knees have gone bad and my bunions started to really bother me so I had to look for an alternative exercise. That’s when I found my one true love, pop!
You choose the intensity you want to go. If you listen exactly to what the instructors are saying, you will feel it in the right muscles. So focus. It was a real mind game for me and it took me a few weeks to get use to the positions they asked us to do. «Shoulders down, chest up, butt tucked, abs sucked in!» I was like wtf that’s not humanly possible! But after 6 weeks, going 3 to 4 times a week my body changed! My posture is better. I’ve never had abs like this before and I use to run 7 miles a day. My coworkers notice a difference in my legs and butt and my husband definitely noticed a difference in my body.
So get pass the shaking in your legs, get pass the smell of the mat and put in work. Your bikini body will thank you later!

My friend and I decided to take on their 7 year anniversary free class. I reserved through their app (so convenient, btw).
We signed up for the 9.45a class with Natalia. We were greeted with a big smile and hello at the front desk. And Natalia, our instructor introduced herself and showed us where to go and what to grab.
The studio where classes are held is well lit and ventilated. There are enough cubbies, mats, set of light and heavy weights for everyone. Studio holds about 10 – 15 people, so that’s how big the classes are.
We got right down to business: upper body (planks, push ups, and stretching) — let’s just say, 5 minutes into the workout and I’m DRIPPING SWEAT NO KIDDING. There are no recovery as well, but deep stretches and you go right into the next workout.
Natalia is a fun and spunky instructor. There aren’t many reviews about her here, but she’s definitely who I would go back to. She takes the time to go around the room and correct your form. She has done so multiple times with me.
Pop Physique San Marino is a great place to get a good work out no doubt. I’m definitely going back again and making this a part of my workout routine.
Pointers:
street parking only
No shoes required, but do wear socks!
You may bring your own mat
They always have good deals on their classes, so be sure to check groupon or their app

It’s…ok. The place seemed pretty empty and the music was a little unorganized — overall I had a good workout though. PP is good for mixing up the work out routine. Price is a big selling point. I mean it’s not as put together as Soul Cycle or Metamorphoses… but let’s be honest, at these prices you can’t expect that. They have a lot of sales which drop the price significantly so those are always worth looking for.

Not sure what all the hype about this place is about. I used classpass to take 2 classes here and both times I have the same complaints. I thought I’d give them another chance, but they seriously need to improve. There are other barre classes out there that are definitely better.
Problems:
1. The first thing that hits you when you walk in the front door is this funky smell. It seriously reminds me of my doctor’s office. The smell of some sort of disinfectant or cleaning supply, but not the usual lemon-​y fresh.
2. The next thing that hits you when you walk in the classroom door is the smell of terrible B.O., and that’s just plain gross. The air feels thick and damp, the smell is terrible. This place needs to get better ventilation.
3. When you go grab yourself a mat, there are wet spots on it. The receptionist which took me around on the first day of class explained that its not sweat but the moisture left from the disinfectant wipe. But when you do your push ups, you can smell the sweat of the last person (s) on it. Ewwwww. I ended up bringing my own mat for my second class.
And on a side note of cleaning the mats. I don’t know is if the place is being cheap or what. But instead of getting the disposable disinfectant wipes to wipe the mats, they give spray bottles of alcohol or something (hopefully not just water) and towels. I’m really not sure how often they change the towels but they only have like 3 or 4 towels. And everyone in the room is using those same towels to wipe their mats. And it didn’t seem like they changed out the towels after the last class. So several classes of sweaty people have been using the same 3 or 4 towels to wipe their mats. No wonder the mats smell! Please, just get some disposable disinfectant wipes. One per person, no re-​using or sharing.
4. The weights look so worn out and over used. The colors on the weights look gross. Not sure if people’s sweaty palms have started rubbing off the colors, but the light blue weights and the pink ones look especially gross.
5. Now onto the actual class. They play music, but the music seriously needs to be better in-​sync to the actual pulsing/​flexing/​movement of the exercise. The point of the music is to workout to the beat, but the music here either has no beat or the beat isn’t to the instructor’s counting. Also, when the music is too loud, we can’t hear the instructor. So they always turn the music down a bit when they are talking. So instead of using the music beat to push us, we get them yelling the counts out 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Other places use both the music beat and the actual instructor counting to really push us. When there’s a beat we are working to, it makes it feel less like a workout and more fun and energetic.
6. Also, the teacher doesn’t really come around to fix people’s posture while doing these workouts. If people are standing the wrong way or doing something wrong, then they’re probably not getting the workout they really need. I know the class size is pretty full, but it wouldn’t hurt if they came around to correct our posture.
Overall, not sure if I want to come back here. It feels so germ-​y everytime I walk in, and I’m a bit of a germophobe. I know they’ve been opened for a few years now. Maybe its time to invest a little money and get some new mats and weights, better ventilation, and some disposable disinfectant wipes.
Parking: Street parking on Huntington Drive.

ClassPass Review — Pop Sculpt
This is not your typical workout. I’m not even sure how to explain, but it is a total body workout.
It involves stretching, small weights, core, etc.
Parking is on Huntington Dr. in the front of the workout.

I’ve taken about 2 – 3 months of classes now so I feel like I can write an accurate review for this place.
The Good
+Clean. I appreciate that the floor is always immaculate and everything is cleaned.
+Good workout. At first I wasn’t sure if that was going to help me see results. It’s intense but it also feels low impact. After a few sessions I did notice that my bun started rounding out and lifting up! As far as everything else, I’m not sure yet, maybe need a few more classes to see more visible results but it’s definitely good for your butt.
+Great teachers. I’ve enjoyed all the teachers and they all bring something different to the plate in terms of music and exercises you’re doing. I would have to say Misha is my favorite. She’s gives great instructions and provides a good kick ass work out!
+Parking. Plenty of street parking.
+Price. They have specials every other week so you can actually get classes for a reasonable price (20 for $ 200, a STEAL!)
+Music. Not sure if it’s mandated but they play all my favorite EDM hits and occasionally a little hip hop.
The Complaints:
–Wet Mats. The mats are always wet from the previous class. I wish they would maybe rotate mats so that we can use dry ones. Oh well, I just flip it over and use the dry side!
–Sometimes when they’re trying new exercises or maybe if the teacher’s having an off day, they don’t explain the exercise correctly. This results in us doing it incorrectly or not working anything out. It’s all about small movements and contractions so if you’re not squeezing the right muscle correctly, it’s useless.

Be prepared to sweat!
I love this place! They instructors really know how to push you and make the time you spend in there worth it. I love how sore I feel the next day. The classes are really fun since you aren’t stuck repeating the same move over and over again. The fact that things keep getting switched up means you can continue to work hard without getting burned out too quickly.
The décor is also cute, so when you’re fighting through a set, you can stare at the pretty chandeliers and try to think happy thoughts.
Street parking is abundant. The only downside is that they are located next to San Marino Seafood (they have awesome clam chowder).

Amy, Kyusha, and Joy are my favorites!
I really realllly like it here and I really like how there are always deals so I can afford going here.
I think it’s a great overall workout, first push-​ups, arms with weights, stretching on the bar, and abs to finish. I appreciate that it’s low impact for someone who’s scared of working out. My favorite instructors are so nice and helpful. Oh also motivating! It’s fun workouts that go by really fast.
Front staff is nice too! Thank you so much pop physique! (:

I classpass-​ed it here. I got there late :(but the people were nice. There was no one at reception though because the person was taking the class. It’s a huge one-​room studio, but plenty of space and was not crowded on the weekend when I took the class. Michael was the instructor and I liked him. I liked that we did our ab work on the floor vs the bar which I’ve usually done in smaller studios.
My only real complaint is that it was difficult to hear the instructor well because the speakers/​sound & mic would get muffled. I think it’s the acoustics of the room, but I missed some of his instructions. However, having taken enough Pop Physique classes at other studios, I was still able to follow along. If I were new, I think it’d be hard to figure out, and the room is so large that you don’t really get individual instruction.
Also, when you do bar work, it’s crowded, even though the room was not crowded when we were on the floor. I can imagine it could be much more crowded if the room was actually full.

This is a barre class, so it’s essentially isometrics set to music.
PROS:
–The workout will definitely get you sweating and tone you up.
–Michael is my favorite instructor here.
CONS:
–Everyone sprays their mats down after (good in theory) and then the mats hang back-​to-​back on the wall. Since they’re stacked together, they never get a chance to dry and they ALWAYS smell like mildew. It’s so disgusting, I’ve had to buy my own mat.
–The place itself usually smells stuffy and gross too. I’ve discussed this with other patrons so I know it’s not just me. I’ve heard a few theories, the best being that they never turn the AC or fan on, so there’s no ventilation. You get used to it after 5 or 10 minutes but still… really vile.
— This place has gotten too big for its britches. It’s always really crowded and hard to find a spot at the bar.
— As for the workout itself, they don’t offer accommodations for injuries. I often find myself having to sit out because of old surgeries I’ve had and not wanting to kneel down on the bad knee, etc. I can’t be the only person in the world with knee or wrist problems…
Basically, check out Cardio Barre instead. It’s a better, more fun workout, in a nicer space that smells better. Happy exercising!

Pop Physique makes working out so much fun! I love their exercises because they’re designed to sculpt and tone, not make you big and bulky. I’ve had great experiences with Joy, Amy, Misha, and Kyausha. Kyausha is definitely the toughest. I love going here during school breaks because you actually have space to do barre work; otherwise, it gets pretty packed on weekday evenings and weekends, even though they impose a maximum attendance number.
Tips:
Sign up for their mailing list so you can purchase less expensive packages at about $ 9 – 10 per class. If you’re a newbie, try looking on Groupon for even cheaper deals.
Update re: Recent Experience with Pop Physique:
I mistakenly believed the expiration date for one of the packages I purchased was at the end of July, not the end of June. I was afraid that I would lose all those unused classes, but after speaking with a representative on the phone, they give 15-​day extensions for just $ 20 more. I’m so glad they were able to work with me despite my oversight!

I’ve been going to Pop Physique on and off for a little over a year now. In that time I can say that I enjoy the workouts and the instructors.
The reason I haven’t completely stuck around is that sometimes the classes are so packed that you are just inches away from others on the ballet bar. It’s not my favorite thing when I can feel someone else breathing on the back of my neck. I think this could be easily solved if another bar was added to the front of the room.
I also with all the instructors would use the microphone when teaching. The room is small but since it echoes so much, especially with the music, I find it hard to follow along sometimes.
One thing that I really did like about this studio is that they put on some fun events.

Time to give this place their props! I have been working out for years (25+ yrs) and needed to change up my routine and focus more on lean and toned with minimal impact on my joints vs buff and stiff. Got turned on to Pop through a friend and bought a Groupon. Went into class thinking this is gonna be easy, especially when I saw 1 lb weights and a little pink ball. Boy was I wrong.
This class worked areas I didn’t think could get worked! Those little weights felt like 20 lbs when you get done. Oh and that little pink ball-​evil, pure evil! LOL, no really love it but also love to hate it.
Pro’s-staff is amazing and VERY nice. Such a nice change from some of the snotty front desk attitudes that seem prevalent today. Studio is spotless and has a great vibe. Temperature is always spot on, never too cold or too hot. As another Unilocaler said, great vibe too. Patrons are also very sweet, friendly and don’t act all territorial about their mat placement.
Classes are a little pricey for me but they often run specials so I snatch those up when they come around, and they do quite often. They have an online reservation program which I encourage you to do as many of the classes get full. I have had to get on the wai tlist sometimes but have always gotten in!
Teachers are great! Very helpful, explain well, and laugh when you throw the pink ball. If you take Amy’s class and she mentions pretzel, do not plan on cracking a beer to go with it-​you will be twisted when you are done. Love you Amy.
Parking is ample and free but sometimes tough when you have to back out onto Huntington.
Go, you will love it and your body will look great!

Okay, I’m finally writing a review!
I’ve been coming here consistently for almost 2 years now. Wow! In the meanwhile, I also cheated and tried out the other major studios. As a whole, I love all barre classes just because it makes exercising fun (I otherwise hate working out). Here are my thoughts on the different studios:
Pop — Big pink ball. Hard wood floors. I love the San Marino studio because everyone here is super friendly and down to earth. Amy and Kyausha definitely teach the «hardest» classes if you’re looking for a challenge.
Pure Barre — Smaller ball. Carpeted studios. Resistant bands. This is definitely the haughtiest of the bunch. It totally fits the stereotype of fancy housewives in head to toe lulu lemon tucking away in their 4 carat rings. BUT, that is not to the say the exercise itself is not great. The amount of workout depends as always on the instructor you get, but overall it’s a good hour of butt kicking. Some may feel slightly out of the place though just because of the crowd.
Bar Method — Smaller ball. Carpeted studios. The moves and instructions seem more technical (they talk about the names of the muscles you’re working, etc). They have two levels of classes (I’ve only tried level 1 so far) and the Pasadena studio has a nice second floor window and a big locker room area. No lockers for the boys though!
I can’t say that I have a clear favorite per se. They all built up your endurance, tone your problem areas, and are lots of fun. Pop regularly have promotions where you can get classes for ~$ 10, so take advantage and try it out. You won’t regret it!
(and bring the boys too! it’ll kick their butts, haha)

Love this studio! Not sure if it’s the patrons, the staff or the location, but this place just has a great vibe. As a kinda lazy workout person that can talk myself out of going, I really like this place and never felt I was being judged for wanting to work on my muffin top in my Target — Lululemon knock off gear.
I started by getting a deal on Groupon but you can equally get great deals for their classes by signing up for their newsletter.
There is also a super easy signup system online that lists out the instructors and times.